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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26335534">who lives, who dies, who tells your story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesandbirds/pseuds/bluesandbirds'>bluesandbirds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>the story of tonight [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Character Death, Dream Smp, Family Dynamics, Gen, Guilt, No respawns, Regret, i don't really know how to tag, l'manburg, tommy dies i'm sorry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 06:20:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,449</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26335534</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluesandbirds/pseuds/bluesandbirds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dream hits his mark. This is what comes after.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Wilbur Soot &amp; TommyInnit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>the story of tonight [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936111</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>MCYT Fic Rec</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. better run for cover when the pup grows—</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tommy is just a kid who thinks he's a soldier. </p><p>chapter title is from "the death of gavroche" from les mis.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It goes like this.</p><p>A challenge. A bottle of poison. A boardwalk.</p><p>The goal of a duel is this: force the opponent to yield. Aim to injure. Kill only if you must.</p><p>Two figures. One barely a boy. One barely a man. (Still a boy. Still a man.)</p><p>A countdown.</p><p>Wilbur Soot is many things. A son. A brother. A friend. A musician. A revolutionary or a criminal, depending on who you ask. Today, he is a general. Today, he sends his <strike> family</strike> army to war with a <strike> friend</strike> tyrant.</p><p>Numbers fall from his lips and between each one a prayer that the winds will turn in their favor.</p><p>(It's a hot, humid night. There is no wind.)</p><p>1.) Tommy stands tall, knuckles white against his borrowed bow.</p><p>
  <em>"You wanna know what we have left? We have each other."</em>
</p><p>2.) Dream's posture is relaxed. His mask reveals nothing.</p><p>
  <em>"There's no love in war."</em>
</p><p>3.) Punz stares blankly ahead.</p><p>
  <em>"No mercy!"</em>
</p><p>4.) George's mouth is set in a grim line.</p><p>
  <em>"No one could have predicted this."</em>
</p><p>5.) Sapnap is grinning.</p><p>
  <em>"I couldn't be happier, actually. Watching you guys try and cower in fear out of that little trap."</em>
</p><p>6.) Eret has a satisfied tilt to his chin. No matter the outcome of this duel, he is sure he has won.</p><p>
  <em>"They gave me the better deal."</em>
</p><p>7.) Tubbo's fists are clenched, eyes full of tears he refuses to let fall.</p><p>
  <em>"We will prevail."</em>
</p><p>8.) Fundy glares like he can will arrows straight through Dream's heart.</p><p>
  <em>"I'm not fully supporting your decisions, but... good luck."</em>
</p><p>9.) Wilbur's voice doesn't waver.</p><p>
  <em>"No matter what happens during this war. No matter who wins and who loses. Just remember that we're on the right side of history here."</em>
</p><p>"Ten paces. Fire!"</p><p>Tommy shoots first. He misses. He takes a dive into the water.</p><p>Two arrows fly past each other, neither hitting their intended target.</p><p>Tommy crosses the underside of the path, scrambling to get back to the surface.</p><p>Dream lines up another shot.</p><p>It hits true.</p><p>Tommy goes limp, half his body curled over the edge of the planks. He is pinned face down by an arrow through his back. The water is rapidly turning pink around his feet.</p><p>Someone screams in victory.</p><p>Someone screams in mourning.</p><p>The green hoodied man stands still, bow loose in one hand. He moves towards the body, but four arms pull him back.</p><p>Wilbur doesn't know how, but suddenly he is kneeling on wood planks, liquid soaking into the knees of his uniform. Tubbo is next to him, a litany of <em>no</em>'s filling the damp air between them. Together they heave Tommy's lower half out of the water. The boy rolls the limp body of his friend over, carefully avoiding the arrow shaft sticking out of his back. Tommy's once bright blue eyes are glassy and vacant. Wilbur's little brother looks dead.</p><p>Tubbo sobs, pressing his face into the bloodstained collar of Tommy's uniform.</p><p>A cry from Fundy pierces the night as the man turns his rage on Punz who keeps a shield firmly between them.</p><p>The traitor turned king is nowhere to be seen.  </p><p>Wilbur is still stuck staring at the boy's face, searching for the light, for the life that was once set in those boyish features. He finds nothing.</p><p>The water is red and so are Wilbur's hands.</p><p>They all have their roles in history, and it appears that Tommy’s is not <em> hero </em> but <em> martyr </em>.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this is my first work ever! i will 100 percent take this down if anyone featured in this story says that they are uncomfortable with this type of fanfiction. i'm not really a writer, i just had this idea bouncing around in my brain for a while.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. write it in ink or in blood, it's the same either way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Their first declaration was a spark born from the hope that they could change the world for the better.<br/>This one is signed in blood.</p><p>chapter title from "once and for all" from newsies.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the morning, it is not Dream who comes to negotiate with them, but Sapnap. Wilbur is alerted to his presence by Fundy, and he makes his way to the American, steadfastly ignoring the empty space at his right side. Sapnap stands stiffly on the other side of the wall, netherite armor and sword gleaming like a nightmare in the morning light. Underneath the helmet, the man looks like he hasn't slept for days. Along his cheek is a thin red line, a lucky graze from one of L'Manburg's arrows. Wilbur takes viscous satisfaction in the sight.</p><p>The citizens of L'Manburg did not sleep last night. They spent the time weeping and digging. </p><p>The Dream Team member doesn't meet his eyes as he informs Wilbur of the war's latest development. A book left in a chest in Dream's base, cheekily titled<em> To:GreenBastard.</em></p><p>Tommy was smart. Smarter than anyone, including (and maybe especially) Wilbur, ever gave him credit for. He knew the chances of them getting out of this on top were slim to none. So he planned. </p><p>A hastily bound book is deposited in Wilbur's hands. The first page is brief:</p><p>
  <em>If you're reading this, I'm dead. Bitch.</em>
</p><p>Wilbur's fingers tremble as he turns the page. He ignores the crinkled spots that look like dried tear marks. Tyrants don't cry over the blood they spill. </p><p>
  <em>Dream, I know what you want from me. I've paid with my life, and in death, I'll give you one victory more. Both the discs: Cat and Mellohi for L'Manburg's independence. </em>
</p><p>He inhales sharply. "Oh, Tommy," Wilbur whispers.</p><p>
  <em>I know what you're thinking. Wow, TommyInnit, that's so selfless and noble of you! Unlike you I fight for something other than myself. You were wrong when you said that there's no place for love in war. If you stand for nothing, Dream, what will you fall for? This is something I'm willing to do. For Wilbur. For Tubbo. For Fundy. <strike>Not for Eret, though, FUCK ERET!</strike> The discs are out of my enderchest, but I've hidden them. Tubbo will tell you where they are once you notify him of the deal. Goodbye, Dream. I'll see you on the other side.</em>
</p><p>In the end, it is not Wilbur's sweeping metaphors and fiery language that secures them independence, but the desperate bargain of a boy with only one thing to lose. Those discs once meant everything to Tommy, but a grave has no use for sentimentality. (Absently, he wonders what Dream's use for it is.)</p><p>Wilbur looks up, forces Sapnap to look him dead on. "You want the discs."</p><p>The American shakes his head. "Dream already found them. The deal is complete."</p><p>He glances between the book and the man before him, searching for some hidden trick. "So this means..."</p><p>"Independence," Sapnap finishes for him. "You have permission to expand and recruit new members to your cause. Dream would like you to know that this independence is only valid in your eyes, but we will respect your boundaries." He turns to make the trek back over the wooden bridge. Over his shoulder, he tosses out one last, "Congratulations, President Soot."</p><p>Wilbur left with a book, a nation, and the hollowest of victories.</p><p>He flips to the next page where there's more of Tommy's smudged writing.</p><p>
  <em>Will, I've taken the liberty of drafting the second declaration of independance. I figured it was only fair.</em>
</p><p>And on the next page:</p><p>
  <em>YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SUCK IT GREEN BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY</em>
</p><p>Wilbur laughs wetly, shaking his head. That damn kid.</p><p>In an hour, he will scrape together a smile to tell his men the bittersweet news. Tubbo will light up, elated that Tommy's sacrifice wasn't in vain, desperately grasping for the positives. Fundy will scoff and shake his head at Dream's "generosity." For now, Wilbur climbs up on the walls overlooking his new country and tries to feel anything but regret.</p><p>Before, he could keep his mind occupied with post-war issues. Surrender. Disbandment. Compliance. Now, he has nothing to distract himself from the painful reality of his new world. Now... </p><p>He has so much work to do.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. it whistles through the ghosts still left behind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's not enough to bury his brother. Wilbur has work to do. A country to run.<br/>People to inform.</p><p>chapter title is from "left behind" from spring awakening.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Wilbur likes to keep himself busy. He doesn't feel good unless he's plotting a revolution or changing the world in some chaotic neutral way. In the hours since L'Manburg has been granted freedom, Wilbur's ordered Tubbo and Fundy to get started on reconstruction, sent letters to prospective allies, and begun plans for expansion of the nation. Jack Manifold is set to arrive in the morning and Nihachu the day after. Until then, he has nothing more to do. The war is over. L'Manburg has its independence. Wilbur is the President. And Tommy is... </p><p>Well, there's something to do.</p><p>The three remaining members of L'Manburg laid their fallen friend to rest on a mountain overlooking the sea. Far from the site of the war. Far from the burning, the bleeding, and the betrayal. Wilbur couldn't give his little brother peace in life, but at least he can offer that in death.</p><p>He closes his eyes and if he pretends hard enough, he can hear Tommy's obnoxious laugh riding the wind. He can pretend that the ash in the air is from a campfire and not the smoking crater of his home. That he isn't in Dream's land, but a different SMP. One with laughter, and wars that didn't take, and his family-</p><p>Oh god.</p><p>It hits him like a bow shot.</p><p>What is he going to tell Techno and Phil?</p><p>Technoblade and Philza, the other two members of the makeshift family they built during their time on SMPEarth. The two people he and Tommy left behind when they went searching for more adventure and excitement. The two people who trusted him to take care of Tommy.</p><p>He thinks of his brother with a crown resting on sweat-slicked pink hair, cocky smirk fixed in place as he holds Tommy's sword just barely out of reach. The way he always proudly ruffled Tommy's hair after he did something right during a sparring match. Tommy pulling Techno out of stressful social situations by embarrassing himself so much that everyone else seemed normal in comparison.</p><p>He thinks of his father, fussing over Tommy's bumps and scrapes, whacking him upside the head for every unnecessary risk. Phil, laughing wholeheartedly at Tommy's worst jokes because no one else will. Tommy hidden behind Phil's back when Techno storms into the kitchen looking for his stolen glasses.</p><p>Both of them waiting for him and Tommy to come home.</p><p>No.</p><p>No. No. No. No. No. No. No.</p><p>Wilbur pushes that aside. Later, he promises, later.</p><p>(He can't do it yet. Can't look at their faces. Can't see their disappointment, rage, sorrow as he tells them what he's done.)</p><p>At the moment, there are other things to be sorted out.</p><p>First, he makes a call. Tommy’s best friend watched him die from a yard away. Tubbo felt the arrow as it made its home inside his brother’s chest. However, Tommy’s other best friend was realms away in the world of Skyblock and blissfully unaware of tyrants and revolutions and bloodshed.</p><p>TimeDeo picks up immediately.</p><p>“Wilbur Soot?”</p><p>“Deo…”</p><p>His explanation is messy, and convoluted, and he has to pause multiple times to collect himself, but Wilbur manages to gets the words out without crumbling to pieces.</p><p>The other end of the line is silent.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he says, words ash in his mouth.</p><p>Deo doesn’t even seem to hear him. “I should have been there.”</p><p>“It’s not your fault.”</p><p>“I was supposed to protect him. I’ve always…" There's a shuddering breath. "I should have called. I thought I was doing him a favor." Deo's words are more for himself than Wilbur. "Why didn't I just call?" </p><p><em>"Deo, you know what? We make a good team, man. We make a </em>real <em>good team."</em></p><p>His conversations with Luke and Bitzel go similarly.</p><p>
  <em>"Business Bay, we've gone from zero to hero, boys... I'm very proud of us."</em>
</p><p>He’s barely holding himself together by the time he rings Wisp.</p><p>Wilbur is well aware of the rocky history the two boys share, one dotted with betrayals and stubbornness and toxicity, but he is also aware that beyond all that, they cared about each other.</p><p>Wilbur gives his report, words falling almost robotically from his lips, a script he never wanted to memorize.</p><p>Wisp takes a moment to respond. “You know, when I joined SMPEarth, he told me that he didn’t backstab people, that they only backstabbed him.”</p><p>That was Tommy. Giving out his heart and his trust freely, raging when he only got pain in return, but never guarding himself any more.</p><p>“Dream was his friend?” Wisp asks.</p><p>Wilbur recalls stories Tommy told him, of training and pranks. Games with no stakes. Long nights and early mornings just pissing about in the way that friends do. </p><p>"Yes," he says through the lump in his throat, "yes he was."</p><p>"So was I."</p><p>(Long after Wilbur hangs up, Wisp stares at the wall, remembering broken promises he made to a now dead boy.)</p><p>
  <em>“Tommy, anyone that touches you fucks with me. I’m going to fuck him up… If anyone hurts you, I'll beat them up. Even Techno himself. Just for you.”</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. little soldier boy, come marching home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Brave soldier boy comes marching home.</p><p>from "leaves from the vine" from avatar: the last airbender.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's three days after. He feels worse than shit leaving Tubbo and the rest of L’Manburg behind, but he can’t stay. Can’t look at the walls he foolishly believed would shield them from the war, can’t smell the traces of ash and gunpowder in the air, can’t walk the oak plank path soaked with the blood of his brother. </p><p>He'll be back to shoulder the future of his nation, but now Wilbur must go home. Must look his father and brother in the eyes and tell them he got his little brother killed. That he filled his head with delusions of freedom and victory and marched him straight to his grave.</p><p>He takes a breath and steps through the portal.</p><p>The first sensation that hits him is the cool breeze. Fresh, clean air tickles his face and when he opens his eyes it's to golden sunshine.</p><p>There's a little house set at the base of a hill. To the left of it is a forest and to the right are rows upon rows of a seemingly endless potato farm. If he squints hard enough, deep into the sea of potatoes, he can see a pink figure set against the horizon line. It's not what anyone would expect from former emperors or world conquerors. Some would call it simple. Wilbur calls it home. </p><p>He supposes, though, that no matter how cosy and idyllic it was, he still wasn't satisfied. He always wanted bigger, grander things. Always chasing after the sun and dragging Tommy along with him.</p><p>He wishes he could go back in time and tell himself that it was enough.</p><p>As approaches the house, he thinks maybe he got lucky, that Philza is on a trip to the Nether or the End, but a peek through the window reveals a lone shadow standing in the kitchen.</p><p>The wooden door stares at him accusatorially.</p><p>When he enters, he's immediately flooded with nostalgia and an ache so deep in his chest he might never breathe again. It's <em>yearning</em> and the intensity of it nearly knocks him off his feet. </p><p>When Phil sees him, his face curls into a delighted smile that cuts Wilbur straight to the core.</p><p>"Will! It's good to see your face."</p><p>He'd been practicing on the journey there. He repeated the words over and over, rolled them around his tongue until they ceased to mean anything. He tested the weight of each apology and memorized their taste (metal and wormwood), so when the time came he'd have something offer besides <em>it's my fault I let him do it I can't ask you to forgive me how do I forgive myself</em>.</p><p>But standing in the kitchen, staring at the man who raised them, all of Wilbur's hard-won composure turns to dust.</p><p>Phil doesn't seem to notice, still bustling around the kitchen. "How's the war? Tommy said you were revolutionaries now. Exciting, i-<em>oof</em>."</p><p>He crashes into Phil, collapsing into his arms, all strength and stoicism leaving him in a rush. </p><p>No one here is expecting him to lead them to victory, to keep them motivated with flowery words and incendiary promises. Here, he can hug his father and mourn for the boy he lost.</p><p><em>"Dad," </em>he says, somewhere between a plea and a sob.</p><p>"Son," Phil whispers, gently lowering them to the ground. "What happened?"</p><p>A voice comes from the door. "Wilbur?"</p><p>He looks up to meet Technoblade's concerned gaze. There's no crown on his brother's head. Instead, he wears a wide-brimmed straw hat and dirt smeared across his face. With the sun at his back, he looks soft and domestic, an image only ruined by the concerned crease between his brows and downward twist of his mouth. His frown only deepens as he takes in the scene. Wilbur, limp and weeping into Phil's shirt. Phil, wide-eyed and barely holding up the younger man. Ever the genius, he takes in the empty spaces as well.</p><p>"Where's Tommy?"</p><p>In his mind, he thinks, <em>forgive me. I taught him to value the war over his life. He died thinking he was a price I was willing to pay, a sacrifice I was willing to make, just to prove a point. He was never an acceptable loss. Why did I let him think he was? Why didn't I tell him he was brilliant? That I didn't mean it when I called him a gremlin. That I don't think I knew how to laugh before he showed me how. That it was all for him, but now that he's gone nothing seems to mean anything.</em></p><p>Out loud, he says, "I'm sorry."</p><p>Phil goes tense under him. "No..."</p><p>"What happened?" Techno's voice is hard only so he doesn't crumble.</p><p>"Dream," he says, "we were losing and Tommy challenged him, so there was a duel and I..." Wilbur tapers off as another wave of sobs wracks his body. He buries his face in Phil’s shoulder.</p><p>Phil grips him tighter, his own tears soaking into Wilbur's curls. "Tommy," Phil murmurs, "My boy."</p><p>"He did it for us. For our independence." His eyes burn and he's choking on his words, but this is the first time he's felt something since that arrow landed and Wilbur can't imagine going back to being <em>numb</em>. "It should have been me," it falls from his lips, an admission, a wish. It's not something he meant to say, but he can't find it within himself to want to take it back.</p><p>He feels Phil begin to pull away and he whines low in his throat.</p><p>”Look at me, son,” Phil says, voice shaking and broken, and Wilbur never, ever wanted to make the man sound like that. Calloused but gentle fingers lift his chin. Glassy brown eyes meet soft blue. “Don’t you say that,” he whispers fiercely, “don’t you ever say that.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he whimpers. “Dad, I’m sorry.”</p><p>Techno, having crossed the room to kneel beside them, places a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Tommy wouldn't blame you." There's only the slightest quiver in his tone. "We don't either. The only one at fault here is that green son of a bitch."</p><p>"I was the one who started the war,” the words rush out of him, bubbling and overflowing and now that they’re out he can’t stop them from coming. “I wanted independence. I gave him the ideas. I told him to secede. I made him commander. I—” he breaks off into hiccups. "And now he's gone and I can't even..." For a second, all he can do is pant for air. Wilbur's voice cracks, "I should have told him I loved him. I can't remember the last time I told him."</p><p>Phil shushes him. "He knew, Will, he knew."</p><p>The hand on his shoulder shifts. Suddenly, he's staring directly at Technoblade. "Tommy followed you because he that’s what he believed in. He made that choice on his own. You can’t carry that, Wilbur. His death is not your fault. That's on Dream and his posse of sycophants. He was just a kid fighting for what was right and they killed him for it." Techno speaks his words carefully. In the set of his mouth, there is not a threat, but an oath. "We're going to make them pay."</p><p>Wilbur sniffles. "Wha-what are you going to do?" His voice comes out a hoarse whisper.</p><p>There's a foreboding glint in Techno's vividly red eyes, a savagery in the set of his mouth.</p><p><em>This </em>is the Blood God.</p><p>"We're going to make his war look like a game of bingo."  </p><p>He stands, taking long strides to the rack by the door to throw his signature cape over his shoulders. Reaching into the umbrella stand underneath, he pulls out a viciously sharpened sword shimmering with enchantments.</p><p>“It’s a private SMP,” Wilbur says, “You can’t get in.”</p><p>Techno doesn’t falter. “You say you won independence? That L’Manburg is its own server?”</p><p>He nods.</p><p>“Then whitelist us, Mr. President.”</p><p>A slow smirk grows across his face to match the Blade's.</p><p>"No mercy."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so this is the end for this story. i don't have plans for a sequel for this, but i am playing with an idea for a side story in Dream SMP taking place right after the duel (a midquel, if you will), so look out for that in the future maybe. i just wanted to say thank you for all the kudos and comments, they literally make my day! anyways, i hope this was a satisfying conclusion for you all, enjoy MCC, and vote #POG2020.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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